Olympic gear on its way

WHITSUNDAY Weightlifting Association will soon be lifting barbells used by athletes competing at Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games thanks to the Embracing 2018 Sports Assets Program.

The donation will enable the small club of 50 athletes to grow their sport in the region, host elite competitions and attract visits from the state's best athletes.

The gear will arrive just in time for the club's hosting of events at the North Queensland Games later this year, giving competitors a chance to harness the magic of GC2018.

Whitsunday Weightlifting Association head coach Leanne Knox said the donation, which included plates, barbells, bar loaders and calibrated scales, was invaluable.

"We'll be hosting lifters from all over Queensland for the NQ Games,” she said.

"Previously we didn't have enough plates for people to warm up and compete with simultaneously.

"On a daily basis this equipment will also change the lives of lifters at our club. We have members aged seven to 65 who are training. We have many people who have walked in to lose weight or get fit and before you know it they're competing.”

About 20,000 items of sporting equipment are expected to be gifted to sporting organisations, schools and communities throughout Queensland after the Games, providing a lasting legacy of inspiration for our next generation of athletes.

Ms Knox said the program would help improve sporting outcomes all over the state, just as it had through the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Brisbane 1982 Commonwealth Games.

On February 24 Whitsunday Weightlifting will be the host club to the Barrier Reef Bash to get under way at Proserpine State High School and in May the club will host theNorth Queensland Games.